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Q: definition of "ambient marketing" ( Answered 5 out of 5 stars,   0 Comments )
Question  
Subject: definition of "ambient marketing"
Category: Business and Money > Advertising and Marketing
Asked by: ideasmerchant-ga
List Price: $10.00
Posted: 07 Mar 2003 03:48 PST
Expires: 06 Apr 2003 04:48 PDT
Question ID: 173069
The definition of "ambient marketing" should also explain the
relatioships with "Viral" and "Roach-Baiting".

It would be usefull if you also touched on the ethical issues of these
marketing activities.

Request for Question Clarification by easterangel-ga on 07 Mar 2003 04:30 PST
Hi! I can answer your question on both the aspects of ambient and
viral marketing.I haven't read or not familiar with the concept of
roach baiting. Would an answer on ambient and viral marketing be
enough? Just let me know and I will immediately work on it. :)
Answer  
Subject: Re: definition of "ambient marketing"
Answered By: easterangel-ga on 07 Mar 2003 07:46 PST
Rated:5 out of 5 stars
 
Hi! Thanks for the interesting question.

Please disregard my request for clarification. I am now ready to
answer your question thanks to the help of my fellow researcher
pinkfreud-ga.

In defining ambient marketing, let us first look at the basic
dictionary definition.

Ambient – “Something that surrounds or invests; as, air . . . being a
perpetual ambient”

“Dictionary.com/ambient”
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=ambient&r=67 

In marketing terms, ambient marketing or advertising and also called
place based marketing is also seen as much the same way:

“To get your new business off to a solid start, try combining two
proven techniques: strategic partnering and place-based, or "ambient,"
marketing.”

“Place-based, or ambient, advertising reaches prospects wherever they
happen to be--preferably in the right environment to be receptive to
your message. You can now reach consumers the way search engine Ask
Jeeves did--by sticking its name on 15 million grocery store apples.
You can make blanket-sized impressions on public beach sand like
Skippy peanut butter or Snapple, or purchase wraparound banners on gas
station and convenience store light poles like Gatorade and
McDonald's.”

“Partnership & Place-Based Marketing Techniques”
http://www.entrepreneur.com/Your_Business/YB_SegArticle/0,4621,302159,00.html

Viral marketing and roach baiting meanwhile are defined as follows:

Viral Marketing – “The promotion of a service or product by using
existing customers to pass along a marketing pitch to friends, family,
and colleagues.”

“viral marketing“
http://www.wordspy.com/words/viralmarketing.asp 

Roach Bait – “A marketing message delivered by an actor posing as a
regular person with the intention of having that message passed along
to many other people.”

“roach bait”
http://www.wordspy.com/words/roachbait.asp   

A comparison and a question of the ethics of doing viral and ambient
marketing could be seen in our next article.

Difference:
“Twenty years ago, viral would have been known as "word of mouth" and
is now most likely to be technology based - email "chain letters", web
or SMS. Whereas Viral is likely to be extremely relevant to the user
by the way that it is passed on from one friend to another, ambient is
likely to be less so as it is a static communication tool. Viral is
easier to evaluate; the direct results can be quantitively translated
in terms of hits to a website, active responses to a text message
campaign and so on whilst ambient is more difficult to assess its
call-to-action success.”

Ethical Issue:
“Jo Williamson - our consumer - agreed with Paul that the success of
viral relied on the "getting personal" but that it was an irritating
and intrusive form of selling.

“The irritation of viral was in contrast to ambient media that when
successfully executed - such as the GAP outdoor poster sites - allowed
escapism and entertainment. Ambient media that works, shows
intelligence and creativity. Ambient communication ensures that the
emotional bonding between brand and consumer is stronger; the consumer
has chosen to actively take notice and go into their world rather than
forcing itself into the consumer's environment.”

By reading the whole article we can see that in ethical terms, viral
marketing is less desirable because it is more pushy and ambient
marketing as seen as static but exhumes creativity.

"You Can't Infect Me; I'm Immune"
http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/alumniRelations/news/20020314t1104z001.htm

The marketing strategy of roach baiting meanwhile is perceived with
suspicion in the minds of consumers.

“Harmless marketing or consumer deception? Other methods include
hiring actors to promote a product, but acting out the "promotion" in
a realistic scenario.”

“If you want to brand your brand onto consumers' brains without them
knowing, it's clever. If, like me, you worry how much further tactics
like these can go, it's dangerously deceptive. What bothers me is that
as advertisers get more and more eager to permeate every corner of our
lives, we may lose our sense of trust that most "normal" transactions
in the day-to-day world are not market-motivated.”

“Undercover advertising targets roaches”
by Barbara Black 

In a nutshell, viral marketing is deemed unethical because it imposes
on the consumer so much while roach baiting encourages deception.
Ambient marketing meanwhile is seen with style and truly successful
ones are done with class. But if not done well, ambient marketing
could be seen as messy advertising.

Search terms used:     
Ambient viral marketing “roach bait”
    
I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
    
Thanks for visiting us.     
    
Regards,     
Easterangel-ga     
Google Answers Researcher

Request for Answer Clarification by ideasmerchant-ga on 12 Mar 2003 03:39 PST
Was a little supprised with the answer on "ambient marketing". I had
originaly thought that it too would be deemed unethical.

There is enought marketing, so why should be have to put up with
"ambient marketing"? Is there anything exploring this aspect?

Clarification of Answer by easterangel-ga on 12 Mar 2003 04:04 PST
Hi again ideasmerchant-ga and thanks for asking a clarification before
making a rating.

I think even "ambient marketing" has its share of critics and is
actually deemed ethical according to its execution. In this particular
article, ambient media this time and marketing as a whole is seen as
the opposite of being ethical.

"Ethics and marketing are not natural bedfellows. In a business where
selecting some ambient media options involves breaking the law simply
for the sake of cut-through, competition can mean that ethics get left
at the office door."

"Yahoo!’s recent advert featuring a stereotypically gay man and using
the line “you can’t trust the kindness of strangers” was condemned as
“outdated and offensive” by special interest groups.Ultimately, the
controversial execution was banned by the Independent Television
Commission."

"Do the right thing"
http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/ThisWeek.Features.View.aspx?ContentID=316

In a nutshell, whatever marketing does it would looked upon with
suspicion since it's main objective whether for charity or for a cause
ends up being a campaign for a sale of a branded product.

In your question "There is enought marketing, so why should be have to
put up with 'ambient marketing'? Is there anything exploring this
aspect?"

I wasn't able to find a specific article but as you can see as the
different media grows different marketing concepts come into play. For
example, the Internet. Right now we are talking about email marketing,
online advertising, one to one marketing, etc. It seems that as long
as there is a product to sell, marketing will follow. And as we
consume more and more, different entities are scrambling for our
attention.

I hope that this clarification supplements my original answer. If you
need further assistance regarding this matter, please feel free to
request for another clarification.

Best Regards,
Easterangel-ga
ideasmerchant-ga rated this answer:5 out of 5 stars
A great answer, thanks.

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